Hopelessly in Love
by Yaoi Clown
Summary: Ever since Freed and Laxus started dating, the blond has been acting quieter, and less like himself, and Gajeel plans to get to the bottom of it. Fraxus, Gajevy


**A/N: So, I didn't get a chance to post anything on 11/11/11, or 12/13/14, so since today is Pi Day, (3/14/15) I decided I'm going to break that streak of missing important dates. This one is called 'Hopelessly In Love' and features both Fraxus and Gale. It's a little unorganized, but all three of my proofreaders magically disappeared, so I had to do this one myself. Please keep in mind that this has absolutely nothing to do with pi…**

Fairy Tail was a place of unpredictability. Everything there was fast paced, one event right after the other, and sometimes, it was hard to slow down, and enjoy the things that were right in front of you, for fear of what you could be losing.

And for this very reason, romantic relationships were very sparse in Fairy Tail, or in any guild really. Being a wizard was simply too dangerous of a job. It was best to limit distractions to a minimum, and when your life was constantly in danger, it was a little difficult to keep up with a relationship.

That's why when Laxus Dreyar-dragon slaying, S-Class _Laxus_ _Dreyar—_turned out to be dating someone, needless to say, everyone was taken aback. And when that person turned out to be Freed Justine, a male and a _teammate, _that shock rose even more.

"What a surprise, huh? I knew Freed had feelings for Laxus, but I never knew Laxus returned them," one could hear Mira say from the bar, "I'm so happy for them!"

"I think it's adorable!" Lisanna piped in, squeeing along with Lucy

Cana merely groaned, taking another swig of alcohol and staring off at Laxus, "The good looking ones are always gay."

While the women seemed to be taking a positive look at the whole situation, the men of the guild didn't know what to think.

"He's a true man's… man?" Elfman said, while Gray rolled his eyes at the bad pun.

"Who cares?" said the Ice Mage, "Maybe now he won't be such a jack ass. Besides, at least it's not Bixlow."

The table gave a collective shudder, and Natsu piped in, "I don't care either. As long as he'll still fight me!"

Gajeel remained quiet, not caring one way or another who sparky decided to settle down with. As long as that blond wasn't making moony eyes at Levy, the metal dragon couldn't care less.

And just like that, the guild returned to normal. Freed and Laxus's relationship was accepted, and absorbed into the moving flow of things, and pretty soon, it was as if they'd _always _been together.

But somehow, something seemed off to Gajeel, and as little as he cared about the whole situation, he found it hard to keep quiet about the little things he saw.

Laxus, for one, had stopped going on long jobs. Month long missions was a trademark of the lightning dragon slayer, and now suddenly, he only took simple missions, if any at all. And he'd gotten quieter too. He no longer criticized his fellow guild mates, or got into fistfights. It was as if all of the cruel, biting nature of his personality had disappeared.

Freed, it seemed, had changed too. Once an obsessive follower who would do anything Laxus told him to, now that they were together, it seemed Freed had gained a little bit more confidence when dealing with the blond. From what Gajeel could see, it appeared that _Freed _was the one calling the shots, and given their prior set up, that was troubling.

Gajeel had reported his findings to the guys, Natsu, Gray, and Elfman (and Gildarts who was there for once), but no one seemed to take him seriously.

"I'm telling you," he said, looking from one doubtful stare to another, "He's totally whipped!"

Natsu scoffed, shaking his head, "Laxus? Come on, there's no way that's true," Leaning back in his seat, he glanced around the guild hall, seeking out the blond, and spotting him, seated alone with Freed.

"I'll prove it!" the pinkette pushed back from the table, and marched over, "Laxus!"

The wizard in question looked up, and when he saw who it was, he gave Natsu a look of disdain, "What do you want?"

Natsu's fist instantly enveloped itself in fire, almost like a reflex, and he shouted, "Fight me!"

Laxus's eyes sparked, and his lips twisted into a smirk, slowly rising from his seat, "Well if you're _that _anxious to get flattened—" He suddenly paused. His eyes cut to the side, glancing in Freed's direction for the briefest of moments, before he settled back down and gave Natsu a passive stare, "If you're that anxious, go find Gray. I'm busy." And then he turned away.

Natsu looked shocked, having never been so outwardly rejected like that, and stood there for a moment, before trekking back to the table, a haunted look on his face.

"You… you're right…" he said, looking at Gajeel.

Gildarts, who had been watching the scene, sat up, and said, "Remember, there are two types of men: Those who are strengthened by love, and those who are weakened by it."

The table, for once, took advantage of the fact that Gildarts had said something mildly intelligent, and thought over the situation.

"So, what do we do?" asked Gray.

"Real men protect their friends!" said Elfman.

The rest of the table agreed, and planned to confront the blond, and tell him what they thought. But a task like that was easier said than done.

They soon realized that the situation was worse than they had thought. Laxus didn't go _anywhere _unless Freed was with him. They went home together, they went into town together. It was like they were conjoined at the hip!

Gray had tried to get around this, asking Laxus to speak with him privately, but Laxus had given him the old, "Whatever you have to say to me, you can say it in front of Freed," and Gray had left with nothing to show for his troubles.

An opportunity finally arose when Freed was suddenly called out to do a job. It was a simple, two day mission, only requiring him to decipher a few ancient texts, and since only Freed had been requested by the client, Laxus couldn't go.

Gajeel saw the chance, and he went for it.

Early in the morning, while the guild was still mostly empty, he spotted Laxus seated by himself at a table in a far corner, and quickly bee-lined over to him, grateful for the fact that his other followers—Bix-something and Fairy Chick—were not hovering around him.

"Oi, blondie,"

Laxus glanced over, just as Gajeel slid into the seat across from him, and scowled deeply at the man's presence, "You want something?"

Gajeel thought back to Gildarts's earlier words, and sighed, "Look, don't you think you might be getting a bit too attached to your little boyfriend?"

Laxus stared at him in disinterest.

"You don't go on jobs anymore, you stopped getting into fights, hell, you even gave up a chance to pound Natsu into the ground!"

"I don't see your point."

"Maybe… you're letting Freed dictate a little too much of your life."

Laxus's eyes narrowed, "Is that what you think? You think that since I'm not raising hell with everyone, I'm being controlled?"

Gajeel held up his hands, "Hey, that's not what I—"

"Mind your own business," Laxus snapped, before jumping to his feet, and storming out of the guild.

The next day, Laxus didn't come in. The day after, same thing. Gajeel wondered if maybe the blond was pissed at him for what he'd said, but he knew that Laxus was not the type to avoid someone if he had a problem with them. Still, that didn't explain Laxus's sudden recurring absence.

It got to the point where even Makarov became worried, asking if anyone had seen Laxus, and when every answer he got was negative, he stated that someone should go to his house and check on him. And that someone he nominated was Gajeel.

"What?" cried the metal dragon slayer, "Why do I have to go?"

"Because," said Makarov, "Freed is still on a job, Evergreen and Bixlow aren't here, and I don't want Natsu trying to ambush him."

Gajeel protested further, but Levy timidly entered the conversation, placing a tiny hand on Gajeel's arm,

"I'll go with you," she said, "Laxus only lives a couple of blocks from here, I can show you the way."

Gajeel grumbled, not liking the idea, but he couldn't say no to those big brown eyes. Moments later, he found himself being pulled out of the guild by the smiling bluenette.

When they arrived at the correct home, all gray and looming, with stone siding, Gajeel remarked that it looked _exactly _like the kind of home Laxus would live in. Stepping under the archway, Gajeel raised a fist, and knocked on the door, the sound echoing heavily on the dark wood.

There was no answer at first, and the two wondered if, maybe the blond wasn't home. But moments later, he heard heavy, thudding footsteps, and the door flew open, revealing a very unkempt Laxus Dreyar.

"Whoah," said Gajeel, taking in the thick bags under his eyes, and the pale, sweat covered face, "You don't look good."

Laxus sneered at him, leaning heavily on the doorframe, and holding his stomach, "Shut up. What do you want?"

"You didn't show up at the guild for the past few days," Levy said, nervously, "The Master was worried about you."

Laxus rolled his eyes, "Well if that's all, you can tell him I'm fi—" he doubled over suddenly, clutching his gut, and Gajeel swore his face turned green. The blond immediately whipped around, and raced back inside the house.

Gajeel heard a door slamming open from deeper inside the home, and assumed Laxus had run into the bathroom, as seconds later, he heard the unmistakable sound of the blond vomiting.

Flinching at the unpleasant sound, Gajeel and Levy stepped inside the house, and pushed the door up behind them.

The sound of a toilet flushing echoed through the house, and moments later, the lightning mage trudged back into the room, and collapsed onto the couch.

"What happened to you?" Gajeel asked hesitantly, "You look like hell."

Laxus groaned, throwing an arm over his eyes, "Food poisoning."

"Food poisoning?" Gajeel's brow furrowed with how completely out of the blue that was, and he prompted, "How the hell did you get _food poisoning?_"

"I don't cook, Freed usually does that for me. How the hell was I supposed to know you can't microwave a chicken?"

"What?" cried Levy, "You tried to—"

"You _can't?_" said Gajeel disbelievingly.

Levy face palmed.

"_Apparently_ you can't," said Laxus, clutching his stomach again, "I feel like shit, and I've been throwing up all day."

"Well," said Levy, "If you have food poisoning, it's going to be hard to keep anything down. You have to eat bland foods that aren't hard on your stomach," she glanced at the soda can, and bag of chips she saw on the coffee table, "Which, I don't think you did…"

Gajeel smiled at Levy, proudly, while Laxus groaned, mumbling, "Great, _more _I didn't know."

"Right now, I think we need to take your temperature," she continued, "Do you have a thermometer?"

"In the kitchen drawer."

Levy went off to get it, and Gajeel was about to follow when suddenly, there was a frantic knock on the door.

"Can you get that?" Laxus grumbled, and Gajeel obliged.

The moment he turned the handle, the door was shoved open, and a panicked Freed burst into the house. He looked out of breath, panting like he had run all the way there, and his arms were filled with countless paper bags, as if he had just gotten back from the grocery store.

Gajeel immediately moved to take some, as the rune mage looked like he was about to collapse, and Freed wasted no time dumping the items in Gajeel's arms, or on the ground before he raced over to Laxus, sitting beside him on the edge of the couch.

"Laxus!" he cried, fretfully, "I came home as soon as I got your call. What happened? How did you get food poisoning?"

The blond looked uneasy, like he didn't want to confess to his lover what he had done, "I…"

"Sparky microwaved a chicken," Gajeel filled in.

Laxus glared at him, but was immediately bombarded with questions from the rune mage,

"You _what? _What happened to the food I left for you in the fridge?"

"I finished it all."

Freed pursed his lips, brows pulled together, and from that distraught look in his eyes, Gajeel realized that the rune mage must have felt… _guilty. _

"I'm sorry, I should have made more. I thought this mission would only last a few days, and it ended up taking a whole week and…" he paused in his rambling, "I'm sorry, sweetie."

Laxus pointed to the bags that Gajeel was still holding, and the ones that had ended up on the ground, and asked, "What's that for?"

Freed looked over too, "Well, when you called me, I was so worried. I knew we didn't have anything here that you could keep down, so I looked up what was best for these kinds of situations, and I got what I could find."

"That's an understatement…" Gajeel mumbled, peering inside one of the bags he was holding. At that moment, Levy walked back into the room, thermometer in hand, and blinked at the sight of the rune mage.

"Freed, you're back!" she said. Her eyes scanned over the numerous bags in the doorway, "And I take it you know what happened?"

Freed nodded, and Levy handed the thermometer to him. He placed it under Laxus's tongue, and as soon as it gave a _beep! _he pulled it out, and looked at the temperature.

"104," he said, (40ᵒC) and set the thermometer down on the coffee table, "Have you eaten anything today? Do you think you can hold anything down?"

Laxus shook his head, "Can I have something to drink?"

"Sure," Freed stood up, and riffled through one of his bags. He pulled out a tall bottle of some pink, swishy liquid that looked like a sports drink. When Gajeel got a glance at the label, he snorted to himself.

"What the hell?" cried Laxus, "Pedialyte? Isn't that what you give to babies?"

"It's also good for food poisoning," said Freed, unscrewing the cap, "It's soft on your stomach, and it doesn't have a lot of sugar, so it will help keep you hydrated," he lifted the bottle, bringing it towards Laxus's lips.

Laxus made an attempt to push it away, but Freed was persistent, and in his weakened, sick state, he couldn't fight him off for very long. Giving in, he took a small sip, and instantly recoiled at the taste.

"That's disgusting!"

Freed sighed, "What did you expect? Come on, drink a little bit more, just a small sip."

Laxus grumbled, but he saw the look Freed was giving him, and obliged. Freed seemed pleased, and put the cap back on the bottle, placing it in Laxus's hands.

"This will help keep you from getting dehydrated," he said, "Take small sips so you won't upset your stomach."

Laxus nodded, taking a shuddering sigh, before muttering, "Can I try eating something?"

"Sure," said Freed, "I bought some rice, and some broth, I could—"

Laxus shook his head, "Did you get mashed potatoes?"

"Well, no, not instant ones. But we have some potatoes in the kitchen, I'll make you some from scratch."

Freed grabbed the thermometer, and returned to the kitchen, and Gajeel could hear him moving through the cabinets, taking out a pot, and running water.

As he had watched the scene before him, Gajeel had felt shocked. While he'd seen firsthand how _obsessed _Freed could be with the blond, that didn't make him any less surprised. He'd never expected to see a serious, proper man like Freed rushing around, and fretting over Laxus like a mother with their child. And, putting it lightly, Laxus was not exactly a model patient.

As Gajeel stood back and watched_, _truly paying attention to what was before his eyes, he realized that maybe, just _maybe _Laxus wasn't as leashed as he had thought. Maybe Freed was equally as hopeless.

And later that day, when Gajeel and Levy left the two lovebirds, and returned to the guild, Gajeel found himself catching the script mage around the waist, and kissing her deeply. With the petite girl clutched so securely in his arms, Gajeel realized that Gildarts's previous statement had been wrong.

Because love was such a beautiful, enlightening feeling, and Gajeel felt like he could do anything, get through anything as long as there were still days when he could come home and find Levy waiting for him, and hold her, just like he was doing now. Gajeel failed to see how anyone could possibly be weakened by that.

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed 'Hopelessly In Love'. Please let me know if you liked it! Happy Pi Day, everyone!**


End file.
